Premium
The ecosystem approach in corporate environmental management – expert mental models and environmental drivers in the Finnish forest industry
Author(s) -
Vihervaara Petteri,
Kamppinen Matti
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
corporate social responsibility and environmental management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.519
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1535-3966
pISSN - 1535-3958
DOI - 10.1002/csr.186
Subject(s) - dpsir , business , environmental resource management , ecosystem services , conceptualization , environmental planning , stakeholder engagement , sustainable development , ecosystem , sustainability , ecosystem management , environmental science , ecology , computer science , artificial intelligence , biology
The ecosystem approach has been adopted as the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is recommended to be used widely in the integrated management of land, water and living resources, to promote conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way, also in corporations. The forest industry is a resource‐intensive branch with various impacts on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Our aims in this study were to examine (i) how the ecosystem approach is implemented in the Finnish forest industry; and (ii) to outline the mental models of environmental experts of corporations, and their conceptualization of some key terms of ecosystem thinking. We interviewed 12 experts about their opinions on the main future challenges, the risks, the mistakes of the past, the possibilities and the successes confronting the forest industry. The results were analyzed using the DPSIR (Driving forces‐Pressures‐State‐Impacts‐Responses) framework model. Finally, we give several recommendations as to how the ecosystem approach can be integrated into corporate environmental management. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.